iPhone price drops

In San Francisco today, Steve Jobs introduced new models of iPods - Yay! To me, they look cool and I can't wait to head up to my nearest Apple store to check them out.

In a surprise move at the end of his presentation, Jobs also announced a $200 price drop in the iPhone. So, there is no more excuse for you out there on the fence thinking about getting this nifty device. Now, there is some considerable whining out there in some areas of Apple nation. There's this post: "Apple screwed you: So now what?"

Some people out there who stood in line in late June for this thing are talking about how to get refunds. "The early adopter tax" one person is calling it. All I have to say is this: Stop the whining!

Just admit that you had an urge to get the hottest piece of tech out there and told yourself you had to have it. I bought mine about a month ago and I don't think Apple screwed me with the price. If I thought it was too expensive then, I just wouldn't have bought the thing. Gimme a break!

Dr. A Live Tomorrow!

I'm happy to announce that I've been able to work out in my schedule the time for the next Dr. A show. It will be Thursday, September 6th, 2007 at 4pm Eastern Time.

I was pleasantly surprised how many people listened live and listened on the archives. Thanks so much for your support of the show. (image credit)

The official/unofficial title of this week's show is "The Doctor Anonymous Challenge." Hmmm.... What could that be? I'm not going to explain it at all before the show on Thursday.

The possibilities are endless and I'll let all of you speculate on what it could be. What I can tell you is that I think it will be fun and a unique way for you to participate in the show.

So, write it in your calendar, or put the date and time in your PDA. Me? It's already in my trusty iPhone so that I don't forget.

What? You haven't checked out the first show yet? (Thanks SeaSpray for the review!) Well, just check out this link or simply hit the play button in my sidebar below the BlogTalkRadio button. And, enjoy! See you tomorrow.....

TV linked to ADD?

You're probably aware of the links that have been made between television (image credit) and a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and diabetes. Now, there is new data stating that children who watch 2-3 hours of TV a day - early in life - may lead to attention problems later in life. (Reuters)

The link was established by a long-term study of the habits and behaviors of more than 1,000 children born in Dunedin, New Zealand, between April 1972 and March 1973.

The children aged 5 to 11 watched an average of 2.05 hours of weekday television. From age 13 to 15, time spent in front of the tube rose to an average of 3.1 hours a day.

"Those who watched more than two hours, and particularly those who watched more than three hours, of television per day during childhood had above-average symptoms of attention problems in adolescence," Carl Landhuis of the University of Otago in Dunedin wrote in his report, published in the journal Pediatrics.

Personally, I find this study interesting because I was born around the time frame in which this study was done. Can I draw any conclusions to my own life or the lives of my peers growing up? Hmmmmmm.....

Now, I do admit that I probably watched the same amount of television at the study participants (does video game playing count in that number?). Here is one of the theories reviewed in the article for this association.

One was that the rapid scene changes common to many TV programs may overstimulate the developing brain of a young child, and could make reality seem boring by comparison.

"Hence, children who watch a lot of television may become less tolerant of slower-paced and more mundane tasks, such as school work," [Landhuis] wrote.

It was also possible that TV viewing may supplant other activities that promote concentration, such as reading, games, sports and play, [Landhuis] said. The lack of participation inherent in TV watching might also condition children when it comes to other activities.

The study was not proof that TV viewing causes attention problems, Landhuis said, because it may be that children prone to attention problems may be drawn to watching television.

Attention deficit disorder (ADD) is so multifactorial, it's very difficult to pin one thing down as THE cause. However, I do admit that sometimes I "become less tolerant of slower-paced and more mundane tasks." Maybe I should watch less television and, say, blog more. What you do think?

Flu Shots: Kudos to Sanofi Pasteur

As many of you know who regularly read this blog, my pulse rises a little bit when talking about flu shots. (image credit) I admit that I directed much of this frustration at the companies who produce the flu shots. Check out my posts - Flu Shot Rant and Flu Shot Rant: Part Deux.

Someone in my office mentioned flu shots last week. As my almost started another rant right there in the office, my staff told me that we just received our first partial shipment of flu shots from Sanofi Pasteur. Hmmmm.... That's interesting.

As I did some investigating on this, I found this news story from the AP and I also found a press release from about three weeks ago.

Swiftwater, PA. - Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi-Aventis SA, has started shipping the first of about 50 million doses of flu vaccine it expects to produce this season.

The first doses are being shipped to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support the Vaccines For Children program and to private doctors and other health care providers.

Sanofi Pasteur makes about half the worldwide supply of influenza vaccine and more than 40 percent of the U.S. supply, the company said in a statement.

The distribution, sent to providers in partial shipments, is scheduled to continue through the end of October. Influenza rates typically peak in February, according to CDC data.

So, I'm going to give credit where credit is due. Of course, there was very little press at the time. News is only made when the flu shots are late as they have been the past few years. However, congratulations to Sanofi Pasteur for being ahead of the curve this year.

Here are the big questions that my office is now asking: When should we announce to our patients that we have some flu shots? What date should be pick to give out the flu shots? What happens when our patients find out when we have some flu shots?

As stated by the Centers for Disease Control, an influenza season may extend as far as the late spring. So, theoretically, someone could get the flu shot too early and not be protected for a possible late influenza epidemic.

Of course, when our office begins giving the flu shot will be determined by market forces. This means that when some of the supermarkets and other retailers start giving out their shots, that's definitely when our office will be getting the phone calls.

But, getting back to my point, I'm glad that we received a partial supply in August. If your office ordered flu shots this year, have you received a partial shipment yet?

Parents blamed for pre-school stress

In many communities across the United States, the first day of school is usually the day after the Labor Day weekend. (image credit) As (some) parents rejoice and (some) kids dread the start of another school year, there is new research data being released stating that parents cause kids more stress when starting school.

Before all the parents who read my blog start to throw things at me, I'm just reporting a news story here (smile). This study is from the UK and courtesy of icWales. The study looked at kids who are starting school for the first time.

Scientists measured the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in children two weeks after they had started primary school and then again six months later. They also took cortisol measurements three to six months before the children started school to provide baseline levels for comparison.

The researchers said they were surprised to find that, far from providing a baseline, children’s cortisol levels were already high several months before the start of the school term.

High rates of the hormone can even make children more susceptible to colds and other minor illnesses.

Dr Julie Turner-Cobb, from Bath University, who led the research, said, “This suggests that stress levels in anticipation of starting school begin to rise much earlier than we expected.”

Dr Turner-Cobb said it was unclear why pre-school children would become anxious so far in advance, but suggested that parents were getting stressed about their children starting school and were passing those fears onto their children.

The article goes on to talk about how things were easier when they had an older sibling who already went through the "starting school" process. The article also talks about how the first day of school can also be tough on parents.

Now, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to make some of these assumptions. But, I thought the cortisol data was interesting. Any thoughts out there on the stress level of kids and parents when it comes to the first day of school?

Dr. A with My Three Shrinks

My Three Shrinks from the Shrink Rap blog (say that fast three times) just posted their latest podcast. And, I'm happy to say that I was honored for them to ask me to be on their podcast. We have been working for weeks to try to match up our schedules and it finally happened.

From the "computer geeky" aspect, it was really cool. We used skype to conduct the interview, which I've never done before. And, just FYI, they are about 300 miles away and the connection was so clear that it sounded like they were just in the room next door.

From a professional point of view, it was quite exciting to actually talk and interact with the people that I've only had one-way electronic communication with in the past. At one point in the podcast, Roy encourages me to interject myself into the conversation because I may not get a word in during a spirited part of the conversation.

I know that I had a lot of fun being on their show, and I hope that another opportunity comes up in the future to do that again. I hope you enjoy the podcast. Here is My Three Shrinks #32.

Happy holiday weekend

For those of us in the United States, it is Labor Day weekend. The day we celebrate work - with a day off. However, call me a traditionalist, because I will be working this weekend. Yes, I'm on call until dawn on Tuesday morning...

So, as you're out and about at your picnics (image credit) and sporting events, just think of me, keeping America healthy and treating illness the best that I can. Yeesh! How cheezy is that? I'm probably jinxing myself, but usually these long weekends are really not that bad from a working standpoint. We'll see...

By the way, thanks again for everyone's support on the live podcast yesterday. I've been told that the sound level could have been a little bit better, and I'll be working on that. Otherwise, I think this is an innovative idea that I'll be exploring further. Have a great weekend!

Listen Live Today!

Doctor Anonymous Live! August 30th (today!) from 4:00-4:30pm eastern time

I've been working through the technical glitches this week. Who knew there would be so many steps where something could go wrong in connecting my computer to the main site? But, I think that I have everything worked out....

You can also participate in the show! That's one of the fun things about this. I'm going to be logged into google talk before the show. So, if you'd like to say hi and see me freaking out before the show, you can find me there. You can also send me an e-mail or leave a comment here. Finally, the fun part is that you can call into the show. Just click here for the number.

Can't listen live? Well, that's ok. One of the cool things about BlogTalkRadio is that they record their shows so that you can listen to them later. Starting at about 5pm eastern time, you can click here and listen to the recorded show.

I have to give a little shout out to A Mom Who Thinks Too Much who called me the social butterfly of the blogosphere. That's too funny. Thanks so much for the plug and for the link.

It's just a few hours away now. I hope that you'll be able to join me - either live or listening on the archives. What am I going to talk about? Who knows? You'll have to tune in to find out. I'm just a blogaholic, you know....

Update: Thanks so much to Chrysalis Angel and Cathy for the promo posts on their blogs!

Update 2: Thanks to Awesome Mom for the IM conversation and to Mother Jones RN for calling in and talking with me live on the air. That was fun!

Dr. A Live this Thursday!

Ahem... I have an announcement to make. I have decided to take a huge step out of my comfort zone of blogging and going to try the world of being a talk show host. How crazy is that?

I have to tell you, ever since I've gotten my iPhone, I've been fascinated even more with podcasts. As some of you know, I've tried doing my own podcasts but really have not had the same satisfaction that I've had with blogging. And, I think the reason is a kind of disconnect between the podcast and the listener/reader.

Then, I started listening to what I would call, "live podcasts," in which the listener can IM chat or even call in to participate with the host. That really fascinated me. So, this Thursday, August 30th, 2007 at 4PM eastern time, the first episode of Doctor Anonymous Live will occur on Blog Talk Radio.

I have no idea what will happen. I hope that I'll be able to navigate through all the technology logistics of the thing. So, it may go off without a hitch, or be my biggest disaster ever. Either way, you'll have to tune in....

Lunar Eclipse

In just a few hours, the second lunar this year will occur, and will be best seen in the western portions of North and South America. (AP)

People in Europe, Africa or the Middle East, who had the best view of the last total lunar eclipse in March, won't see this one because the moon will have set when the partial eclipse begins at 4:51 a.m. EDT. The full eclipse will begin an hour later at 5:52 a.m. EDT.

NASA has a great webpage about tonight's total lunar eclipse. (image credit) I guess those in the Eastern part of the US (like me) will only have about 30 minutes to see it. I know I'll definitely be up by then, because, hey, I'm on call tonight. And, you know what they say about being on call with the lunar eclipse....

Update: When I first posted this (six hours ago), the moon was full and high in the southeastern sky. Over the past few hours, while I was getting some winks and answering my pager, I saw the moon slowly move to the southeastern sky and closer to the horizon.

Something unusual for northeastern Ohio is a sky without any clouds at all. It happens around here maybe 2-3 times a year at night, and tonight was one of those nights. As 5:52 am got closer and closer, I saw less and less of that full moon that was there at the beginning of the night. Then, it happened - Total lunar eclipse.

Wow! I've never seen anything like it. Better than any picture than I've ever seen. Better than any astronomy class than I've ever been to. I tried to take a picture of it, but even that could not do it justice. What a great start to the day!